London house prices: Here’s how pop-up homes could help boost supply and cut rental prices February 26, 2016 Pop-up venues – from shops to galleries and restaurants – have thrived since the recession and are now ingrained UK culture, providing landlords with a means of filling vacant spaces and supporting fledgling businesses. But they could play just as crucial a part in tackling London's housing crisis by providing fast and cheaper accommodation, the Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservatives have claimed. In [...]
UK house prices: two thirds of workers earned less than the average property last year February 26, 2016 Two out of five UK workers (38 per cent) earned less than the average home in the last 12 months, a new study by Post Office Money claims. The Cost of Buying & Moving report, which was compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) found that average house prices rose by seven per cent – [...]
Hometrack figures show slide in property sales across top 20 UK cities in 2015 February 26, 2016 The number of number of homes sold across the UK's top 20 cities fell by two per cent over the last year, according to data released today by Hometrack. London has seen a seven per cent dip in transactions in the year to January while Cambridge experienced the biggest drop in sales, down 20 per cent [...]
Derwent London signs up Capita to Copyright Building after year of record lettings February 25, 2016 Derwent London said has struck a deal to let an entire office building in London's West End to professional services firm Capita as it posted a strong set of full-year results. The FTSE 250 developer said Capita has agreed to pre-let 87,150 square feet of office space at The Copyright Building on Berners Street more than a year ahead of completion, in [...]
Countrywide blames volatile residential sales market for 40 per cent drop in profits February 25, 2016 Britain's largest residential property services group Countrywide suffered a 40 per cent slump in profits last year after a slowdown in house sales following the General Election and increasing competition from online agents took its toll on the group. The company, which owns 50 high street brands including Hamptons, Blundells and John D Wood, said pre-tax profits slumped to £47.7m in [...]
Earls Court developer Capital & Counties sees share price fall over fears of cooling property market February 24, 2016 Capital & Counties (Capco), the Covent Garden landlord developer behind the £8bn regeneration of Earls Court, posted a 14 per cent jump in the value of its vast London estate last year. However shares in the company nevertheless slumped by eight per cent over fears that cooling demand and an oversupply of prime residential properties in the [...]
McBride’s share price leaps as turnaround plan boosts profits February 24, 2016 Europe’s leading manufacturer of own-brand household and personal care goods McBride cheered investors after reporting a better-than-expected jump in profits, sending shares soaring by 10.2 per cent. The company, which supplies supermarkets with household goods such as washing liquid and dishwasher tablets, posted a 56.3 per cent jump in adjusted pre-tax profits for the six [...]
Shopping centre giant Westfield pushes ahead with $10.5bn expansion as annual profits rise February 24, 2016 Westfield Corporation, the Australian shopping centre behemoth that owns two of London’s biggest malls, delivered upbeat results for 2015, in its first full-year since splitting its empire into two. The retail landlord, which spun off its Australian and New Zealand operations into a separate business in 2014 to focus on its growing international business, made [...]
New Scotland Yard’s Middle Eastern owners win approval to replace it with £1bn luxury scheme February 24, 2016 The owners of the New Scotland Yard, the former London home of the Metropolitan police, have won planning permission to turn the 1.7 acre site into a £1bn luxury residential scheme. The Westminster building, which has been home to the Met since 1967, was sold to Abu Dhabi Financial Group (ADFG) for £370m in December 2014 as part of a strategy [...]
JLL’s UK boss Guy Grainger takes top European job at property firm in management reshuffle February 24, 2016 The UK boss of property services giant JLL Guy Grainger has been promoted to chief executive of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as part of a management reshuffle at the company. Grainger, 48, who has headed up the UK business for three years, will succeed current EMEA chief Christian Ulbrich, who will become president of the New [...]